Washington [US], December 22 (ANI): US top infectious disease expert doctor Anthony Fauci on Tuesday received the first dose of Moderna vaccine in Bethesda, Maryland.

Fauci said he considered it an honour to be part of this process, reported CNN.

"As a symbol to the rest of the country that I feel extreme confidence in the safety and the efficacy of this vaccine, and I want to encourage everyone who has the opportunity to get vaccinated so we can have a veil of protection over this country that would end this pandemic," Fauci said.

He also said that the vaccine treatment was the culmination of years of research that has led to a phenomenon that has been unprecedented.

The doctor gave a two-thumbs-up sign after he received the vaccine dose.

Meanwhile, National Institutes of Health Director Dr Francis Collins, Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar and six other NIH frontline workers are also receiving the vaccine this morning, CNN reported.

Azar called this vaccine an 'extraordinary' scientific achievement, and expressed complete confidence in the safety of the Covid-19 vaccine.

"We've all said it is nothing short of miraculous to have a safe and effective vaccine within one year of a novel virus becoming known to the world," he said.

US President-elect Joe Biden on Monday received his first dose of vaccine for the novel coronavirus publicly on Monday.

The event was broadcast live as part of an effort to reassure the American public of the vaccine's safety, The Hill reported.

Biden thanked the scientists and researchers for developing the vaccine adding that the American people have nothing to worry about when it comes to the vaccine's safety.

"Today, I received the COVID-19 vaccine. To the scientists and researchers who worked tirelessly to make this possible -- thank you. We owe you an awful lot," Biden said in a tweet. (ANI)

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